Life With Sirius
by Amazon Writer
Summary: I know that it's been done before but what if Sirius had been released after only six years and had been given custody of Harry by the Ministry? Let's find out what kind of life Harry might have had.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Harry Potter, nor any other character(s) you may recognize. They belong to JK Rowling. I mean no disrespect and I am not gaining anything by writing/posting this story. Though the plot is mine.

If you enjoy the story, please feel free to leave comments/constructive critisicm. Thank you for reading!

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A lone figure stood at the end of the driveway at 4 Privet Drive, the sun was just beginning to set as he walked up the walkway and knocked on the door. He heard a voice from inside bellow, "Boy! Answer the door!"

The door opened slowly and the man looked down to see a young boy with emerald green eyes covered by broken glasses. "Good evening."

"Evening Sir. Can I help you?"

The man kneeled down the child's level, "Perhaps. You see, I'm looking for a young boy by the name of Harry."

A slight smile played about the boy's face, "I'm Harry."

"You look just like your father." The man whispered. "Do you remember me, Harry?"

The boy searched his limited memory, the face in front of his own seemed vaguely familiar. "Paddy?"

Sirius grinned, "Good boy!"

"Boy! Who's at the door?!"

The boy flinched, "It's a friend, Uncle Vernon."

A portly man came ambling around the corner, into the hallway. "Who'd want to be friends with _you_, Boy?"

Sirius' face darkened as he stood up to meet the eyes Vernon Dursley. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sirius Black, Harry's godfather."

Vernon's eyes narrowed. "Godfather, eh?"

"Yes, Sir. I've come to take the boy home." Sirius rummaged through his robes and produced a document. "These here are the legal papers stating that I am legal guardian of Harry."

"I am unaware of any such matters! My wife and I are the Boy's only legal guardians. Though only goodness knows why. The Boy is nothing but a pest and imbecile!" Vernon spluttered, shutting the door abruptly. "Good night, Sir!"

Sirius stood on the doorstep, thoroughly bewildered. He walked away, vowing silently that he would be back for his godson. "Okay, operation Plan B. Hmm…what _is_ Plan B?"

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Remus Lupin sat at his kitchen table watching his friend pace back and forth. "Would you please sit down, Sirius? You're making me dizzy."

"Sorry Moony," The man mumbled, slumping into a chair. Sighing, he looked up at his friend. "So how do we get him back?"

"We can't simply go barging in there-"

"Why not!?"

"Because that would be kidnapping, Sirius. That's why."

"Oh."

"We shall go back tomorrow afternoon." Remus began. "Dressed as muggles. I will be your attorney, representing your right to have the child in your custody."

A roguish grin slowly spread across Sirius' face. "Thanks Moony."

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Sirius cradled a sleeping Harry in his arms, a smile creeping across his face as he peered down into the smaller version of James'. He gently kissed the scarred forehead gently and sighed quietly.

"Are you gonna sit there holding him all night, Paddy?"

Sirius looked up the quiet voice with a sheepish grin, "Yeah."

The two of them had gone back to 4 Privet Drive earlier that evening to collect Harry and the Dursley's had seemed all too eager to be rid of the "Boy". The only thing that Harry had brought with him was the blanket he'd been wrapped in when Dumbledore had left him on the front step and the small teddy bear he'd had clutched in his hands that night.

He now sat in front of a roaring fire with a freshly bathed Harry, dressed in one of Sirius' old t-shirts, as the boy slept curled up on his lap.

"You know we have to go get him some clothes tomorrow, don't you? The ones he wore earlier were despicable."

"Yes Moony, I know." Sirius murmured. "And whole bunch of other things that a boy needs. Toys, games, books, candy. Did you know he's never had a piece of candy before?"

Remus nodded sadly as he observed his friend. He could see that Sirius was exhausted. "Paddy? Why don't you at least take him upstairs with you and get some rest?"

"But-"

Ever the voice of reason, "There will plenty of other nights that you can watch him sleep."

Once stretched out in his bed, he still couldn't believe how good it felt – to be able to relax into a soft mattress and be kept warm with a thick down comforter. As he closed his eyes, the memory of being set free came to the forefront.

_The door to his cell clanged open for the first time in six years, Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody walked in. "Black?"_

"_Mad-Eye…to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"_

"_Ah…still sane, eh? That's good. Well come on then, ya lazy mutt! We're gettin' ya out of here."_

_Haunted eyes grew round, "I'm free?!"_

"_As soon as you take Veritaserum. Peter Pettigrew crossed through a ward a few days ago, one that forces Animagi to return to their human form. Being an unregistered Animagus, he was caught immediately."_

"_Mad-Eye…I'm not registered."_

"_You will be." Moody grunted as he half supported a weak Sirius and helped him down the hall. "Come on, let's get you out of this hellhole."_

_In the end, Peter crumbled under the Veritaserum and told the whole torrid story. The Ministry sentenced him to the Dementor's Kiss. Until that time, he was placed in Sirius' old cell…which would prevent him from shifting to the Rat and escaping. _

_The Ministry had also apologized profusely for the wrongful imprisonment and awarded Sirius with several thousand Galleons. They also included the adoption papers for one Harry James Potter!_


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Sirius awoke to find himself alone in the room. Hopping out of bed, he made his way slowly though the upper part of the house. "Harry?"

It wasn't but a few minutes later that his nose led him to the kitchen. Expecting to find Remus standing at the stove, he was surprised to see Harry standing on a stool cooking. Sirius rushed over to pull the child away from the hot stove. "Harry! That's a no-no! That stove is very hot, you could hurt yourself very badly."

Harry hung his head. "Sorry Paddy."

Sirius lifted the boy's chin gently, "It's okay Pup. I just don't want you to get hurt. Now…where's Moony? And why did he leave you alone in here?"

"He's not here."

"What?"

"He's not here. Haven't seen him since last night." Harry paused to push his glasses back up on his nose. "I woke up early. So I made breakfast."

"You…made…" He paused to glance at the table. Sure enough, there was a plate stacked high with pancakes, bacon, sausage and fresh orange juice. "Pup…you didn't have to do that. It's nice, don't get me wrong, but you are far too young to be cooking all by yourself."

Harry gazed at him for a long moment. "I don't get it."

Sirius frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I've been cooking breakfast for a long time. Sometimes dinner, too."

Suddenly it made sense to Sirius, the Dursley's had made a servant out of little Harry! He brushed the messy hair away from the small face, "Oh Pup! I'm so sorry!"

Emerald eyes just looked at him in confusion.

Sirius scooped him and settled them both on a kitchen chair. "Listen…you don't ever have to cook or clean or do laundry or anything else that you don't want to do. Okay?"

"But how else will I earn my keep?"

"That's just it, Pup, you don't have to!" Sirius hugged the boy. "I just want you to be the beautiful little boy that you are. I want you to run and play and make lots of noise." At this moment, he was completely unaware just how much these few simple words would come back to haunt him.

"Um…Paddy?"

He grinned, he'd never tire of hearing that name come from the little boy. "Yeah?"

"Breakfast is burning."

Sirius' head whipped around to see black smoke curling up from the frying pan. He pulled out his wand, quickly dispersing everything on the stove.

"Whoa!" Harry breathed. "How'd you do that?"

Sirius turned back to face Harry, "Magic."

"But…but…magic's not real."

"Not real? Who told you – did your Aunt and Uncle tell you that?"

"Yes."

He frowned, "Hmm…looks like I need to explain a few things. But for now, let's eat this yummy breakfast before it gets cold!"

After consuming the scrumptious breakfast that Harry had prepared, and Sirius complimented him several times, he took the child into the sitting room to talk. Settling themselves on the sofa, Sirius attempted to explain magic in terms that a young child would understand.

"You see, Harry, this isn't the folly that the so-called magicians use to entertain muggle children. This is the real thing."

"Muggle? What's a muggle?'

"Non-magic people, like your Aunt and Uncle."

"Oh." The boy nodded. "Am I a muggle?"

Sirius laughed, "Not hardly! You, my little Pup, are a Wizard!"

Emerald eyes widened in delight, "Can I have my own wand?"

"No, sorry. Not until you are older."

"Aww!"

The godfather chuckled and touseled his hair, "Someday Pup, someday. Until then…let's go get dressed and I'll take you shopping for some things that you need."

Once the boy was dressed, Sirius had had to pull out his wand again and shrink Harry's clothing a bit. Apparently they had originally belonged to Dudley some years before, and were still too large for the small boy. Sirius then sent Harry to use the bathroom across the hall while he, himself, got dressed. No sooner had he pulled on a clean pair of pants, than he heard Harry let out a piercing scream. Racing out to the hallway to find the boy crouched in the corner trembling, "What the…Harry? What's wrong?"

Scooping the sobbing child into his arms and comforting him, "Pup, what scared you so much?"

"There…there…was a mon-monster in the bath-bathroom." He hiccupped.

Frowning in confusion, "Monster? What did he look like?"

"He was smaller than me with big, pointy ears and funny looking nose."

The house elf! How in the world had he forgotten about him? "Pup, that was no monster. That was Kreatcher, my mother's old house elf."

"What's a 'house elf'?"

"Hmm…someone who does chores around the house, run errands for the owner of the house, among other things." Sirius thought a simple explanation would suffice for the moment. Pulling out his handkerchief, he wiped away the remaining tears on Harry's face. "Come on, go finish up in the bathroom while I finish getting dressed."

Harry looked up at him and shook his head. "Uh uh!"

Sirius took in the sight of the child standing there squirming; his need of the toilet quite clear. But also his fear of returning the to scene of his fright was written upon his face. _Damn you, Kreatcher!_ "Come on then, I'll go with you."

Once Harry was done using the bathroom and brushing his teeth, both returned across the hall so that Sirius could continue dressing.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note – I apologize for such a long time in between updates. Real life has been very hectic for me these last couple of years.

Thank you for reading :o)

Harry held tightly to Sirius' hand as they walked through Diagon Alley, his green eyes wide at the shops. Never before had he seen such things – owls sitting contentedly on perches, brooms that were meant for flying instead of sweeping. People rushed about them, dressed in every way imaginable. He was brought out of his observations by the now familiar voice. "Sorry?"

Sirius smiled, pointing to someone across the way, "Look, there's Moony."

Harry let go of Sirius' hand and raced over to Remus, "Moony!"

Remus smiled warmly at the boy, surprised yet pleased that he had taken to him so quickly. "Well hello, Harry! How are you this morning?"

"Okay. Are you going shoppin' with us?"

"Not today, I'm afraid." Upon seeing the little face fall, he quickly added. "But I'll certainly accompany you for a little bit."

Harry smiled happily, "Yay!"

Sirius smiled for an entirely different reason. "Would you mind keeping an eye on him while I stop at the bank? I don't want to expose him to the goblins unless I have to." He briefly described the incident with Kreatcher earlier that morning.

"Sure, not a problem."

"Thanks mate, I appreciate it."

By the time they stopped for a late lunch, they had visited most of the shops in Diagon Alley. Harry had enough clothes to last him quite a long time, several books, toys and anything else a boy needed. Including a humungous, over-sized sack of candy, any kind of candy you could imagine.

Harry's head bobbed sleepily and Sirius worked on his second cup of coffee. Using his wand, Sirius shrunk all the packages down to fit into his pocket, scooped up the now sleeping Harry and off they headed for home.

The next few weeks flew by as Harry became more and more comfortable in his new home and lifestyle. Sirius smiled on a daily basis as he watched the young boy come out of his shell and really open up to him. One evening, at bedtime, Harry had come to him in the living room with one of his new books and asked to have it read to him. It would became a nightly ritual, one they both secretly enjoyed.

One night as Sirius tucked Harry into bed, the little boy mumbled sleepily, "G'night Daddy."

The smile that spread across Sirius' face could have lit up the night sky. "Good night Pup."

Harry was busily racing around the backyard playing some make-believe game. Sirius and Remus were sitting in the parlor drinking tea and discussing their favorite topic. Remus was currently beating the socks off of Sirius at a game of Wizard's Chess. "Don't you think it's time he was enrolled in school, Padfoot?"

"Probably."

Remus glanced up at him with a raised eyebrow, "Have you even looked into it at all?"

A shrug was his only reply.

"He needs to make friends of his own age, Sirius. Otherwise he may not be ready for Hogwarts in a few years. Both academically and emotionally."

Sirius knew his friend was right, however he had no idea where to even begin and told Remus as much.

"Well what about Molly Weasley? She has several children, all school-age. I'm sure she would have some advice on the subject."

Dark eyes brightened, "I don't know why I hadn't thought of that before. Doesn't she have a boy around Harry's age?"

"I believe so, yes."

Just then there was a crash from outside followed by a wailing cry. Both men looked at each other briefly before racing out the backdoor. They found Harry crumpled on the ground clutching his arm to his chest. Sirius was by his side in a heartbeat, scooping the boy up into his arms. "What happened, Pup?"

"I...I was tryin'...to...to fly."

While Sirius comforted the crying little boy, Remus held up the kitchen broom in his hand. "With this, little one?"

Harry nodded, "Uh huh. Like the cartoons on my blankets. My arm...it really hurts."

Understanding dawned in both mans eyes. "All right, to St. Mungo's we go."

"Um...it might be a better idea to take him to Poppy instead." Remus suggested. "We'd be in and out in no time."

"And probably avoid reporters too." Sirius muttered as he lifted Harry off the ground, "Okay Pup, here we go."

An hour later found the two men listening to the medi-witch go back and forth between chattering gently with Harry and scolding them for not keeping a better eye on such a young boy. Especially one who was so new to their world and deeply interested in everything 'magic'.

Poppy brushed the hair out Harry's eyes and replaced his glasses upon his face, "How does your arm feel now Sweetheart?"

He smiled, "Better. Thank you ma'am."

"You are very welcome." She gently touched his arm that she had placed in a light cast. "Your arm is going to ache for a while, even though I fixed the broken bone with magic, I couldn't heal it all the way. You need to rest for a few days. No running around like a wild banshee, understand?"

He nodded his head, wide eyed.

"And definitely no more jumping off your swing-set trying to fly."

She then turned on Sirius and scowled at him as she handed him two vials of potions. "Give him this smaller one tonight at bedtime, not only will it help with the pain but it will help him sleep. This larger one, give him a spoonful three times a day for 3 days, it will aid in the healing of his arm."

"What about the cast?"

She sighed, "That will dissolve on its own as soon as it is no longer needed."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry this is so short, folks. Especially since its been so long between updates. There will be more in the new few days/weeks as I am laid up with a foot that I cannot walk on. So in theory, I *should* have plenty of time for writing. We shall see.

Sirius was sitting by the fire reading with Harry when an owl tapped on the window beside them. "Daddy? What's that?"

"It is an owl, a wizard or witch's mail carrier." Sirius reached over to open the window, allowing the bird to come in and deliver his message. "Harry, will you run into the kitchen and get the tin out of the broom closet?"

"Sure Daddy." The little boy ran off, quickly returning to his godfather's side. "Here ya go!"

"Thank you." Opening the tin, he handed the owl a treat and conjured a small bowl of water.

"Who sent you a letter, Daddy?"

Sirius smiled, he never tired of hearing Harry call him that. "It is from an old friend of ours, Molly Weasley. We have been invited to her home tomorrow for lunch."

"Oh. Does she have any children to play with?"

"Yes, indeed she does. One of them is your age, I believe. His name is Ron."

Harry jumped up and down, "Yay! A friend! Wait. We're gonna go, right?"

"Of course, we are!"

The next morning dawned bright and clear, the sun was shining in through the windows of Harry's room when he opened his eyes. Putting on his glasses, he hopped out of bed and rushed across the hall to the loo. He was glad to find it empty.

"Harry? Breakfast is ready!"

He scampered down the stairs, pausing about midway down, looked over the railing toward the kitchen door. It was closed, so he took a chance and climbed up on the railing, expecting to ride down to the bottom. When he didn't go anywhere he looked around in confusion, only to find a cross looking Sirius standing next to him. Harry swallowed, "Hi Daddy."

"Harry James, just what do you think you are doing?"

"Umm..."

"Uh huh," Sirius gently pulled his wayward child off the bannister and carried him down the remaining stairs. Stopping to sit on the last step, he placed Harry on his feet in front of him. "What did I tell you the last time I caught you trying to slide down the railing?"

The little boy couldn't look his daddy in the eyes, instead chose to play with a ring on his daddy's hand.

"Harry James!" He scolded.

That was the second time his daddy had called him that in the last few minutes. "It's not safe an' I could fall off."

"And yet here I find you doing exactly what I told you not to do." Sirius frowned, he didn't like being this stern with his little pup but he needed to keep him safe. "What else did I say?"

Little green eyes pooled with tears, "I'd be in twouble."

Sirius nodded, "I did, didn't I?"

"Uh huh." The little head nodded as tears spilled down his face.

Sirius stood and pointed to a spot across the room, "You need to go stand in the corner until I tell you to come out." He gave Harry a swat to send him in the right direction.

Harry yelped at the sting in his bum, he quickly made his way to the corner he was told to go stand in. He couldn't help the sob that rose from his chest.

Sighing, Sirius went back to the kitchen to quickly place a warming spell over their breakfast of pancakes, sausage and scrambled eggs. He poured two glasses of orange juice and placed them on the table before walking back out to the hallway. The quiet cries of his child broke his heart. Letting another sigh escape him, he moved across the space between himself and Harry. Kneeling down next to his boy, "C'mere Pup."

Harry turned around and jumped into Sirius' outstretched arms. "I'm sorry Daddy, please don't send me away! I won't be bad no more!"

Sirius' eyes opened wide in horror, "Oh no baby! Daddy would never do that! Never!"

"But I was bad?"

"No Puppy, you weren't 'bad', I promise! You just were a little bit naughty, that's all." Scooping Harry up into his arms, he walked back to the kitchen and sat in a chair. "Pup, why would you think I'd send you away?"

Harry started to calm down and wiped his face with the sleeve of pajama shirt. "Aunt and Uncle used to say that all the time."

"I see." Mentally cursing the Dursely's for the umpteenth time, Sirius proceeded to reassure his pup. "Harry, I promise on my magic that I will never do that to you, no matter what! I love you as my own child, you may not have been born of me but please never doubt that you are MY kid or how much I love you!"

Harry smiled and hugged Sirius tightly, "I love you too Daddy."

Happily returning the squeeze, "Now, we need to talk about what just happened. Harry, I want you to understand that it's not that I don't want you to have fun and to feel free here in your home but what I **do** want is for you to be safe. And sometimes that means I need to make sure you do as your told."

"I get it Daddy. I won't try to slide down the railing no more."

"That's my good boy!" Sirius smiled and ruffled the mess of black hair in front of him. "Now then, let's eat our breakfast before it gets cold and yucky!"

Shortly after they had finished breakfast Sirius had sent Harry back upstairs to pick up his room and make his bed. Harry was busy playing with his building blocks when there was a knock on his open door, "Ready to go, Pup?"

"Yeah!" Harry jumped up from the floor and ran across the room.

"What about your blocks?"

"Oh, I forgot." Harry turned back to look at them and with a nod of his head, they all were placed back in their container.

Taking note of Harry's actions, he merely filed it away to discuss with Remus later on. He smiled at the child in front of him, "Okay, go put your shoes on and grab your jacket."

Once downstairs, they stood in front of the fire place. As Sirius grabbed a handful of floo powder, he was stopped by Harry. "What's that? And how come we're not using the front door?"

Sirius knelt down to Harry's level, "This Pup, is called 'floo powder' and when I throw it into the fireplace, it will magically allow us to travel to wherever we need to go."

"Will it hurt?"

Sirius shook his head, "No baby, but it might make you dizzy. So I will pick you up and carry you in my arms."

"But _Daddy_...I'm a big boy!" Harry whined, somewhat mortified.

"Only until you are used to traveling this way, Pup." Sirius stood back up and tossed the floo powder into the said fireplace. "The Burrow!"

Harry watched in amazement as the flames turned from orange to green, "That's neat."

"Okay Pup, here we go!" He said as he scooped his boy up and stepped into the flames. They watched as several fireplaces swept by them as the dust swirled about. Finding the correct one, Sirius stepped out. As he expected, Molly Weasley was there to greet them.


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